Racing toy



Nov. 26, 1957 K. MOHLENBROCK 2,814,492

RACING TOY Filed June 13, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 fnzxenzor 33 12222"? MafiZenracl 5y Par/31 2" 5 Car'fer' Nov. 26, 1957 K. MOHLENBROCK RACING TOY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1956 In 0G2? for JfoklerzZrack a? ('arfer Ji'z'torn eys K. MOHLENBROCK 2,814,492

RACING TOY 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Q ww W wr$ 3 Nov. 26, 1957 Filed June 13, 1956 RACING TOY ar ohle wck, h a Application June 13, 1956, Serial No. 591,154 3 Claims. (Cl. 27386) This invention is in the field of toys and is an improved type of horse-racing game or the like, although itis not limited thereto.

A primary object of the invention is a new and improved horse-racing game or the like.

Another object is a horse-race game in which the horses are constructed to move down an incline track by gravity and are arranged to be held in the starting gate.

Another object is a horse-race game of the above type in which the starting gate at the upper end of the track has individual stalls for the horses.

Another object is a game of the above type in which the horses are mounted on a level platform and when the gate is thrown open and the platform is removed, gravity will urge them down the track.

Another object is a game of the above type in which the barrier and the level platform in the stalls are tied together so that when the platform or restraining means is removed, the stalls in the starting gate open automatically.

Another object is a game of the above type constructed to be fool-proof so that children cant break it.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the ensuing specification and drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective of the device;

Figure 2 is an end view of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section along line 3..=3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section along line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a side view;

Figure 6 is a section along line 66 of Figure 2; and

Figure 7 is a detail.

In Figure 1, a horse-race board or track is indicated at 10 supported at one end by a base 12 and at the other end it may merely rest at the end of the board at 14. The upper end of the track has a starting gate 16 with individual stalls 18. The track may be bounded by a margin 20 and a rail 22 because no horse race is complete without one.

The base may include side plates 24 on each side of any suitable shape with a cross-brace 26 carrying adjustable supports or feet 28 so that the height of the upper end may be varied.

The individual stalls can be separated by vertical posts 30 if desired.

The toy horses, one of which is shown in Figure 6, may be of any suitable type which will hobble, roll or stagger down an inclined plane under the pull of gravity. The one shown in Figure 6 has a body 32 of wood or otherwise with one fixed leg 34 and one pivoted leg 36. Thus the horse will rock back and forth, to and fro, from the fixed leg to the pivoted leg and back again and will slowly inch its way down the inclined track. The track is extended behind the starting gate a sufiicient distance as at 38 so that the horses will be adequately supported.

The front of the starting gate is provided with a barrier mechanism which includes a plurality of rods 40, one beside each still, all of them being pivotally fitted in an upper support or beam 42 which may take the form of Patented Nov. 26, 1957 2 a horizontal bar suitably connected across the top of the stalls and suitably mounted at 44 at each side. Each rod carries a gate or barrier 46 which is adapted to be opened as shown in the full line position of Figure 3 or clpsed as shown in dotted line position. The gates are all open in Figure l. The rods pass through suitable openings in the track and are supported in a suitable cross-bar or supporting beam 48 extending horizontally under the track and mounted on each side in a suitable manner at 50. The lower end of the vertical rods carry crank arms 52 which may be separate or integral parts, all of which are connected to a cross-rod 54 which extends through the side of the base at 56 with a handle or knob at 58. When the knob 58 is pushed in from left to right in Figure 3, the gates all close and the crossrod, in addition to moving laterally, also moves rearwardly so the opening through the side of the base is in the form of a longitudinal slot to accept this movement.

A cam shaft 60 is rotatably mounted behind the gate under the track and carries a suitable number of cams 62 suitably spaced. The rod is mounted in suitable supports or bearings 64 and extends through one side to a suitable handle 66.

1 A bar 68 may be positioned directly above the cam shaft and is carried by two or more suitable bolts 70 which extend down from the track and are provided with suitable nuts or the like 72. Suitable springs 74 around the bolts force the bar down against the nuts, however, the bar can be raised by the cams 62 which compress the springs. At spaced intervals the bar carries a plurality of what shall be termed platforms 76 which extend up through openings 78 in the stalls and are mounted on suitable poles 80 or the like which are held on the cross-bar by suitable nuts 82 All ofthe lobes on the cams 62 are axially aligned, so that when the cam shaft is turned by the handle, the cams will raise and lower the cross-bar 68 uniformly. In the raised position, the platforms 76 project up through the floor of 'the track and extend slightly above it as shown in Figure 6. The upper surface of these platforms is generally horizontal, and the spacing is such that the forward or fixed leg 34 of the toy horse will rest on the platform. This throws the horse in a horizontal position which will prevent it from moving. When the cam shaft is rotated so that the bar 68 is dropped by the cams, the platforms quickly descend through the track and the toy horses are quickly but gently deposited on the inclined surface of the track where gravity will start them forward.

A bracket or the like 84 is mounted underneath any one of the stalls and carries a detent or the like in the nature of a bar 86 pivoted at 88 to the bracket. The detent has a strap 90 or the like extending up over the bar 66 so that when the cams raise the platforms, the detent 86 will be pivoted upwardly.

The push rod 54 for the starting gate has a spring 92 which is connected to the base at one end 93 and to a suitable bracket 94 on the push rod at the other end so that all of the starting gates will be urged by the spring to their open position. The bracket 94 extends below the bar and is adapted to engage the detent 86 as shown in Figure 7. Thus, when the push rod is moved from left to right in Figure 3 to close all of the starting gates, after the handle 66 is rotated so that the cams raise the platforms which in turn raise the detent, the detent will fit against the bracket 94 as shown in Figure 7 and will lock all of the starting gates closed. When the handle 66 is rotated to drop the platforms, the detent will be knocked down releasing the starting gates and the spring will snap them open.

The other end of the cam shaft 60 carries a lock ratchet 96 having a plurality of lobes which engage a lever 98 3 pivoted on a bracket 100 on the side of the base, the lever 98 having an ear 102 fitting up over one edge of the bracket 100 and held in position by a spring 104.

In Figure 5, if the cam shaft is rotated counterclockwise,

the lobes will engage the roller 106 on the end of the lever and will knock it out of the way because the car 102 allows it to pivot. But if the shaft is turned clockwise, the lobes will hit the roller on the end of the lever and the ear 102 will prevent further movement. The lobes on this cam are axially arranged relative to the lobes on the cams 62 as shown in Figure 5, so that the cam shaft cannot be rotated in the wrong direction far enough to damage the platform mechanism.

The use, operation and function of the invention are as follows:

The device is in the nature of a toy or game. A track is disposed with a base at one end so that it is inclined and toy horses are adapted to be placed in a starting gate at the upper end. The gate has a plurality of individual stalls all of which have individual starting gates. The gates are manually closed by pushing the knob 58. First, however, the hand wheel 66 is rotated and the cam shaft raises the platforms. Then the knob 58 is pushed to close the gates until the detent snaps in place. The toy horses can then be put in each stall and placed with the fixed foot or leg 34 on the platform. At starting time the cam shaft is rotated counterclockwise in Figure 6 so that the cam lobe moves out from under the platform mechanism. This drops the platform and the horses are lowered to the inclined track. At the same time the detent snaps from under the bracket on the starting gates push rod, and the spring snaps all of the gates open. Thus, the horses are off and running. To prevent various horses from cutting across and jamming up the track, individual lanes could be separated by rails or the like, but such an arrangement has not been shown.

To prevent the user from damaging the instrument, as they are generally but not always children, the cam shaft can only be rotated in one direction.

Whereas one embodiment of the invention has been shown, others will be obvious and numerous changes should be taken into consideration when interpreting the invention. For example, the size of the parts is unimportant except that the cooperative relationships above recited should be carried through. The platform for 4 supporting the toy horses in the stalls could be enlarged and any suitable shape. The upper end of the track can be adjusted by the feet 28 to give the proper incline to the track for the particular toy horses used. With the use and other modifications in mind, the invention should be unrestricted except as by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an animal racing toy or the like, a base with an inclined track, a starting gate with a plurality of stalls at the upper end of the track to hold toy animals that are constructed to move by gravity down the track, a movably mounted barrier for the front of the stalls, one for each stall, restraining means in the stalls to prevent the toy animals from being urged by gravity down the track, manually operable means for setting the barriers to close the front of the stalls, a second manually operable means for setting the restraining means to either operative or inoperative position, spring means for biasing the barriers open, and an automatic interlock between the two manually operable means so that when the restraining means is moved to operative position with the barriers manually closed, the barriers will be releasably held by the interlock, but when the restraining means is moved to inoperative position to release the toy animals, the barrier will be released by the interlock and will simultaneously open the starting gate.

2. The structure of claim 1, in which the restraining means includes a level platform adapted to be raised and lowered in the stalls, so that the toy animals will either be on the level platform, when it is raised, so that gravity will have no effect upon them, or will be on the inclined track, when the platform is lowered, so that gravity will urge them down the track.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the interlock includes a latch actuated by the second manually operable means to hold the barriers closed against the bias of the spring means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,601,739 Nicholls July 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 470,716 Great Britain Aug. 20, 1937 

